Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to field of electrical connectors, more specifically to the field of input/output (I/O) connectors.
Description of Related Art
Typical I/O connector systems include a cable assembly and a board mounted connector. The cable assembly, which commonly includes a pair of plug connectors on opposite ends of a cable, is configured to transmit signals over a desired distance. The board mounted connector, which is typically a receptacle positioned in a panel with the receptacle configured to receive and mate with the plug connector.
As data rates have increased, one issue that has been difficult to overcome is the physical limitation of medium that is used to transmit signals from between the plug connectors. Passive cables, for example, are cost effective for shorter distances but tend to be limited with respect to distance as signal frequencies increase. Active copper and fiber optic cables are well suited to transmit signals over longer distances but require power and thus tend to create thermal issues if the connector system is not properly designed. One solution has been to use a riding heat sink on the receptacle but the existing solutions, while somewhat effective, have trouble providing sufficient thermal handling capacity. Thus, certain individuals would appreciate further improvements in thermal management.